Extraterrestrial
by ImprecantesStellam
Summary: AU. James Diamond, a rich boy in California, meets Carlos Garcia: a kid his age with a bright smile, but a dark secret. As James and his friends befriend Carlos, they find themselves slowly caught into a sinister plot—from which escape is vital. JARLOS
1. You're So Hypnotizing

**Extraterrestrial**

_Chapter 01: You're So Hypnotizing_

**AU. James Diamond, a rich boy in California, meets Carlos Garcia: a kid his age with a bright smile, but a dark secret. As James and his friends befriend Carlos, they find themselves slowly caught into a sinister plot—from which escape is vital. JARLOS. This was written November 11 2011, or better yet known as my birthday. :) **

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><p>IT had started off so simple. It was a simple normal day at Palm Woods Academy. James Diamond had attended all of his classes, and had carried on his day in its usual tidings. He spent his first class, learning about the conquest of the Aztecs in his Honors World History class. However, true to his lack of respect for school, James instead spent the period gawking at his nerdy teacher, who seemed to experience immense joy from teaching the boring discourse of history. Luckily, the day had crawled toward the last class with a somewhat mundane speed, as James eagerly finished his Show Choir performance.<p>

Then, like usual, at exactly seven minutes past the ringing of the bell, James located Logan Mitchell, and Kendall Knight, his two best friends. The trio sauntered toward ice hockey practice, trudging their sore muscles and tired minds to the ice rink. After an egregious practice, James had hopped into the showers of the gym, after which, he met with Logan and Kendall again. After commiserating about the harsh practice, and the tedious passing of the school day, James nodded toward his silver Porche, and hopped into the leather drivers seat, Kendall joining him in the passenger seat, and Logan scooting into the back seat. Like usual, the boys turned the radio to the contemporary pop hits station, from which the top chart singles began to play. After their usual ritual of singing along to the most embarrassing singles, James dropped Kendall off to his humble abode first, cheering him on like usual. After dropping Kendall off, Logan and James began to discuss strategies for hockey, hoping to improve their game-play. Finally, James dropped Logan off at his house, and called to him to be online for their usual homework discussion.

Finally, James accelerated as fast as he could to his house, the prestigious Diamond estate. James rolled into the private gate, which opened immediately upon scanning his car. After parking his car, James turned off the ignition and took a deep breath. Like usual, he entered his house, greeting the stout butler, and hovered toward the kitchen. Despite the chef's comments, James preferred to glance into the cold fridge, staring at it for any fruits If there was anything James liked, it was eating healthy. He enjoyed maintaining his physique. Like usual, James grabbed a fresh and crisp apple, biting into juicy interior. James nodded wistfully to his chef, who slowly began complaining in French. He sighed, and carried his back pack up the spiraling staircase, and dumped it onto his floor. It had been only an hour since practice had ended, and James was already bored. Logan would be ready to help him within three hours, and James could not eat supper until his mother returned in two hours. It was lengthily mundane to even sit through the time it took for his evening to begin. James had nothing to do.

Staring at his bed, James entertained the possibility of perhaps taking a nap, but he knew that his mother would receive him with consternation if he was not sitting at the dinner table, awaiting his mother's return. It was their usual tradition—that James would have to wear his formal dining clothes, and await his mother's return from her job as the CEO of the Diamond household cosmetics company. If he was even a moment late, he would be castigated, punished, and ostracized.

Like usual, it was a normal evening. James had spent his two hours, lazying around on Facebook, watching profile pictures and other people of his list of friends. He was used to this constant normalcy of his life.

It was a never ending circle of life, something splattered with hopes, aspirations, and dreams. He would wake up at the same time every morning, prepared to run a mile in hopes of warming up his body and metabolism. Then, at approximately the same time every morning, he would enter in the house, and pull out a freshly made fruit salad from the fridge and leave it to adjust to the room temperature while he showered for approximately forty five minutes. Afterward, he would eat the fruit salad, and then grab his backpack and speed to Logan's house and then consequently, Kendall's house. After picking up both of his friends, he would speed across the lanes as fast as he could until he reached school, from which he would run to his Honors World History class. After spending the entire day in school, he would meet with Kendall and Logan and head toward the arena for practice. Afterward, he would take them and drop them home in the exact order of Kendall then Logan, and then return back home, and find something to do within the two hours before his mother returned home.

James sighed wistfully, as he closed his laptop, and glanced at the time. He had approximately seven minutes before his mother arrived back home, and he knew that he needed to be downstairs, where the angry French chef would be casting him dark looks. It amused James only because it was different—and variation was something he craved.

James was not adventurous by nature, nor was he especially daring. He attributed those traits to his best friend, Kendall Knight. However, deep within his heart, James wanted to experience a thrill: a sudden feeling of excitement and pleasure. He wanted to experience a fleeting sensation that would paint his normal gray life a myriad of hues and tones, sparking a fire within his empty soul. It was not that James craved any specific person, object, or situation, but he simply wished for excitement.

He was James Isaac Diamond, one of the wealthiest students at the Palm Woods Academy. He was naturally handsome and obviously coveted by many students in his school. To say he was popular would be uttering a lie. That fickle title belonged to a fellow socialite, Mercedes Griffin. She was almost the female counterpart of James, save for her poor academic standing, and inability to perform musical numbers. Moreover, James was on the varsity field hockey team, and he stood out as a paragon for both the musical arts and the athletic achievements, exceeding fantastically in both areas. However, his academics often took the beating for his stellar moves on the ice, and for his dazzling ballads. He was nowhere near a failing student, but his grades were simply lackluster. While music and ice hockey fascinated him, James found himself bored of it.

James often contemplated the possibility that he was depressed—or at least under some mental affliction. He would never admit it, but the idea of pain sometimes fascinated him, and he found himself interested in doing things to his body that would result in an exhilarating rush. It was eerie to sometimes think of such things, but James accepted the fact that he simply drank alcohol to experience a buzz and close off his mind, and that he desired pain for it was so abnormal. All of his life, he had been sheltered like a fragile piece of china, and for once, James wanted to be broken, just so he could experience being fixed.

He loved his friends, Logan and Kendall. They were dedicated comrades, and his passion, Logan's intelligence, and Kendall's courage often resulted in comedic stunts, or charismatic and momentous occasions for others. While Kendall and Logan were unaware of James's inward feelings, he still enjoyed spending time with them, despite his innermost insecurities. He would never admit it to anyone, but he was always afraid that Kendall and Logan were truly not his friends—and to make matters worse, James often found himself having high expectations for friendship, and he felt horrible whenever he thought of Kendall and Logan failing to meet his expectations.

"Just another normal day in the life of James Diamond," James breathed silently, as he closed his eyes to wish once more that he would be warped away to a land full of adventure, excitement, and joy.

Once he heard the garage gears shifting in his house, James instantly began to change out of his clothes from school and shifted into his formal dinner attire, and swiftly slid down the steps to be seated in his seat. The chef gave him a dark look, as James simply winked and sat erect and awaiting his mother's attention.

This was the first sign of abnormality. James's mother, Brooke Diamonds, was a solitary woman. To see her suddenly enter with Arthur Griffin and Mercedes Griffin prompted James to raise an eyebrow, as he quietly rose and welcome Mr. Griffin and Mercedes to the manor. Mercedes winked at James, as he simply smiled and blinked several times, as if assessing the situation.

While it did not necessarily please him, he was excited to see something changing. He sat down at the table, as everyone else took their seats, with the salads being distributed across the large kitchen.

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><p>"So did you see how Jo tried to hit on Kendall today?" Mercedes quipped, as she finished her slice of cheesecake. James nodded politely, and smiled. He would often add in notes here and there whenever Mercedes talked, but usually she kept the conversation going by herself. It was something James appreciated about the heiress, and something he cherished. Not that James was a quiet person, but sometimes he preferred the company of his own thoughts.<p>

"I mean, Kendall is hot, don't get me wrong," Mercedes winked, "but Jo? It's like a hierarchy, and Kendall is a noble, and she's a peasant. She's not even captain of the field hockey team!" Mercedes sighed, as James nodded. Whenever Mercedes quipped about James's friends, and associated them with accolades accentuating their physical features, James simply smiled. He could not explain the fleeting feeling he received in his chest whenever he thought of his friends in any other way but friends, but he preferred not to venture down that dark alley of thoughts. Whenever it got too bad, James found himself hooking up with random girls at parties over the weekend.

James, as Mercedes continued to talk, peered over at Mr. Griffin and his mother, watching them talk rapidly about a subject. Mrs. Diamond's hawk-like face and impassive mask was slightly scratched with worry, while Mr. Griffin would occasionally rub his temples. However, when suddenly Mrs. Diamond shifted her eyes toward James, instantly he turned to face Mercedes and began to participate in her conversation, with a half-heart. It eerily excited him to know that something was going on between his mother and Mr. Griffin, and from the looks of it, the ordeal was not about business. The two moguls in front of him never worried about their empires, for they were extremely adept entrepreneurs.

Suddenly, after a quick whisper from Mrs. Diamond, Mr. Griffin and Mrs. Diamond stood up from their spots, and Mr. Griffin called out to Mercedes. James smiled, and waved to Mercedes, as if they were friends, and she waved back wildly. The two Griffin's left, leaving Mrs. Diamond and James to bask in the fake home they had, shifting them back to the cold and solemn house they upheld dutifully.

"How was school?" Mrs. Diamond asked customarily, as James stifled a yawn. A yawn would be rude, and he never wanted to be rude around his mother. If he ever lost his memory, he would remember that his mother never took no for an answer—and somehow, being rude was equating to a no in her book.

"Fine," James shrugged, as there was the usual awkward silence between mother and son as they both mentally searched for a common topic to discuss. However, for once, James had something with which he could stir the pot.

"Why did Mr. Griffin and Mercedes come here for dinner?" James asked quickly, as Mrs. Diamond blinked. She smiled, and ruffled James's hair—something he hated—and clicked her tongue customarily.

"We had been long overdue for a nice dinner together," Mrs. Diamond played it off, as she turned the opposite direction, and walked to her office, her heels creating a powerful echo as she left the room only physically. James sighed, as he decided to retreat to his room. He wished he could tell someone about his family dynamic, but he would never want to open up completely to Kendall and Logan. While they shared many similar thoughts, James knew that he could not trust anyone until he truly knew they were worth it.

He had trusted his father, until he left the family, to pursue a grunge life James and his mother never understood. However, despite the laid-back lifestyle James's father pursued, he was somehow stricter than James's mother. Whenever James would upload a picture on Facebook, his father would instantly comment on it and continue to peer into James's life in ways that Mrs. Diamond could not. It was suffocating, but he could not do anything about it. After all, he was James Diamond. His life was entirely paved out for him. He would graduate from Palm Woods Academy, attend Yale University, get a MBA afterward, and then take over the cosmetics empire. If he tried to diverge from the path, he was only castigated and punished. James thought he could have trusted his father, but his father preferred to leave him alone and by himself with his mother instead of even trying to connect with him.

The impressing of his paved life became so bad that James could not even ascertain as to what he wanted from life—which often brought about bouts of sadness and desolation within his mind, which would thereby lead to the thoughts of pain and exhilaration. It was a vicious cycle, which only deepened into James's psyche and bombarded him with aloof feelings.

Like a diamond, and true to his namesake, James could appear flawless on the outside, but truly contain cracks within him. No one at his school would have suspected that James could even host such a myriad of morose and ominous thoughts, but he would never let anyone past his exterior, not even Logan and Kendall.

James sighed again as he peered out the windowsill in his room, to see it raining. For a moment, James's eyes widened. The weatherman told him that he would be experiencing rays of sunshine, and for the first time he could remember, the weatherman was wrong.

Something was bound to happen, but James could not fathom as to how large it was, and how immense it would become.

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><p>A knocking on the front door echoed throughout the Diamond estate, awakening James out of his restless slumber. He shifted slightly in his covers, as he heard footstep past his door, and down the staircase. He listened as suddenly a clap of thunder filled the vicinity, and instantly alerted James that something was transpiring beneath him. He quietly withdrew himself from his comfortable bedding and paced toward the edge of his room, and peered out the door, where no one stood. He then exited his room, and walked to the edge of the upper level, from which he could see the front door. While he could not see much from the dim lighting, he could identify his mother's sharp hairstyle standing inside the house. James also squinted and saw two figures standing outside in the impenetrable darkness. James tried to get a better view, but he could not see anything.<p>

He saw his mother nod, and suddenly the shorter of the two figures entered the household sullenly. The silhouette outside nodded its head, before Mrs. Diamond closed the door and faced the shorter silhouette quietly.

She began to say something to him, as James suddenly took initiative. He was unaware as to who this stranger was, and while it would come across as 'rude', James wanted to delve into his curiosity and entertain himself with the thought of who would be visiting his household in the drastically early hours of the morning.

"Mom?" James asked, as he slowly walked down the stairs. Mrs. Diamond instantly turned around, and glared at James. She obviously was not pleased, as James stepped off of the last step. The robed figure behind her looked downward, preventing James from seeing its face.

"James, don't you have school in the morning?" Mrs. Diamond hissed, as if nothing was occurring. James raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, he saw the facial features soften across Mrs. Diamond's face. However, she blinked and caught herself. Her usual aplomb returned, and suddenly she placed a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, but who is that?" James asked, as he wrinkled his nose. The figure was drenched from the rain, and continued to look downward, although it shifted slightly when James indirectly addressed it. Mrs. Diamond seemed exasperated, as her eyes scanned the air for an answer. Suddenly, something clicked, and she turned to face James.

"It's a new servant, and his train was late. He will be starting tomorrow, and so I would like you to meet Carlos." Mrs. Diamond spoke cheerfully—too cheerfully for a woman awake at three o'clock in the morning. James squinted under the dim lights of the main hallway, as the figure suddenly lifted its hood.

James felt his breath escape him, as he saw a boy around his age. The boy had a tan complexion, with large, brown eyes and an innocent gaze. The boy looked exotic and foreign. Carlos waved brightly at James, although he dared not breathe a syllable. James saw what embodied purity, innocence, and brightness. The boy somehow lit up the darkened hallway with his sparked demeanor, and despite his drenched clothing, he exhibited an exuberant radiance from his presence that resembled charisma.

"H-He's our servant?" James eyed Carlos interestedly, as Mrs. Diamond impatiently nodded her head. She then looked around, and placed a finger on her lips, as if pondering some great question within her mind.

"Where is he going to sleep?" James asked quietly, as Mrs. Diamond instantly turned her head to stare at James angrily. However, from her silence, James guessed he had predicted her thoughts.

"The guest quarters were excavated because of the bed bugs," James replied sullenly, as he recalled the guest house adjacent to his mansion had to be vacated because of the mad infestation of bed bugs from a foreign ambassador. Mrs. Diamond continued to give James a demanding glance, as James matched her stare with one of naivety and curiosity.

"He can stay in my room," James offered quietly, as Mrs. Diamond continued to stand loyally by her silence. Carlos glanced between both Mrs. Diamond and James, causing James to wonder whether he even understood English or not. The exotic aura Carlos brought suggested his homeland was not California, or anywhere remotely near the United States.

"Why would you allow a servant to bed in your room?" Mrs. Diamond asked inquisitively, as James shrugged.

"It's three o'clock, and we're both tired. He can sleep in my room so I can make sure he doesn't rob us, and then we can find him a place to stay later tomorrow." James quipped, attempting to emulate Mercedes. While he did not necessarily agree with his own words, he knew they were enough to ensnare his fatigued mother. With a weary sigh, she waved her hand, and James nodded. He wished her good night, and motioned for Carlos to follow him. Carlos eagerly followed James like a dog following its owner, and James suddenly felt a smile grace his features.

Carlos was different, and that was for sure. Something about him entranced James and propelled him to burn a desire to learn more about the boy. There was so much to this boy that hypnotized James—his bright smile, flawless complexion, but shady entrance and eerie silence. All of the positive features of Carlos seemed to counterbalance his negative or darkened features, which only interested James further. Why was Carlos even here? There was no shortage of servants within the Diamond household, but he knew answers from his mother was harder to achieve than breaking into a bank.

The night was slowly turning into a mix of complex emotions, sprinkled with curiosity, all served a top a small, foreign being who currently stood outside James's room, upholding a bright smile. It had ended so complicatedly.


	2. Could You Be The Devil?

**Extraterrestrial**

_Chapter 02: Could You Be The Devil?_

**AU. James Diamond, a rich boy in California, meets Carlos Garcia: a kid his age with a bright smile, but a dark secret. As James and his friends befriend Carlos, they find themselves slowly caught into a sinister plot—from which escape is vital. JARLOS. Thanks so much to the warm response guys! Special thanks go out to **Lovin' Big Time Rush**,** Achi94**, **CourageAboveAllElse**,** Santiyonr91**,** Rosiedoll**, **Rhett9**, and** rosaxD114**! Moreover, happy belated birthday to **Santiyonr91 **whose original stories on Fiction Press you should all read! This was written December 2011**

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><p>THE day had begun as mysteriously as the previous night had ended. James blinked several times, before stiffening his back and awakening from his silken throne. He rubbed his eyes in a fit of fatigue, as he instinctively felt beneath his eyes to detect any growing bags or rifts under his eyes. Finding none, and feeling slightly more satisfied, James trudged his body from his comfortable cloud and slowly floated to Earth, as his bare feet touched the warm rug conveniently located near his bed. As James straightened his back, and delved into his surroundings, he noticed the first abnormality in his realm of normality: Carlos.<p>

Suddenly, a flood of memories filled James as he recalled creeping his head out of his room in the early hours of the morning to see his mother speaking to a mysterious figure at the door, and taking Carlos into her house; a feat never once performed by Mrs. Brooke Diamond. Thus, it propelled James into being instinctively curious about the foreign boy who had yet to show any inclination of even speaking English. Why had his mother, whose firm grasp on the manor made every breath hitch, seemed so uncanny and different upon being around Carlos?

The wretched sound arising from Carlos's peaceful slumber, known as snoring, broke James from his thoughts, as he raised an eyebrow skeptically. How had he slumbered through the racket with such ease? James shook his head and continued to peer at Carlos. He had not given the boy anything but his floor and an extra pillow, and yet Carlos had managed to situate himself comfortably. He seemed as if he was running rampantly through his dreams, thriving in a foreign and exotic environment. James suddenly felt himself seething with jealousy—Carlos was brought in as a servant, and if James was not given permission to see those dreams, then Carlos was not allowed to either. Instantly, James brought his leg to kick Carlos, and watched with immense satisfaction as Carlos's eyes were shot open, the peaceful grin destroyed and the deplorable snoring ceased. Carlos looked around for several moments, accepting his surroundings, before looking up to peer at James with large eyes.

James squinted, as he felt his cold diamond exterior burn slightly from the warm gaze of the boy beneath him. He crossed his arms together, and shook his head. This was pitiful behavior from a servant, and James was not pleased. It was completely uncouth of the drudge to simply wait while James commanded him. Clicking his tongue, James immediately began to bark.

"Get up, you buffoon," James hissed, as the joviality present within Carlos's eyes disappeared and was replaced with confusion. James grabbed Carlos's arms to get him to arise, yet within the struggle, James had miscalculated the physics present within the room, and somehow Carlos was brought up against him, both boys within intimate proximity with each other.

Before James screamed at the boy to stand away, he noticed the unique mole on Carlos's face, the omnipresent naivety painted across his features, and the puerile twinkle in his eyes. As James blinked, Carlos suddenly pushed James away, causing the rich heir to fall to the ground abruptly. A fire suddenly blazed in James's eyes as he glanced at Carlos, but it was slightly watered down as the other boy's quivering lip and large eyes were taken into consideration. Carlos appeared scared, but James could not begin to conceive a reason for explaining the fright within the other boy's eyes. James was nowhere near as muscular as any of the other members of the ice hockey team, although he knew he had a well-defined abdomen. Moreover, James had to admit that he was nowhere near intimidating as his mother or as grotesque as many of the pitiful students in his school. So then, why had Carlos backed away so quickly and instinctively from him?

James groaned slightly as he lifted his head. He could feel a bruise forming at the back of his perfect scalp from the abrupt drop to the floor. He wanted to hurl insults—emulate his mother—and berate Carlos for pushing him, but he felt as if he no ground upon which to do so. James could practically hear Logan analyzing the situation; that James was the one at fault for touching Carlos in the first place.

"Useless servants," James rolled his eyes as he continued to watch Carlos calm down from his frightened state. Closing his eyes and exhaling, James attempted to recollect his thoughts. He opened his eyes, and stared straight at Carlos.

"I want you to get my," James paused, as he slowly began to flail his arms around to mimic his motions, "bowl of fruit salad from the fridge, and place it outside," James commanded. However, Carlos remained immobile and simply cocked his head to the right, not seeming to understand James. Rolling his eyes, James muttered "I don't have the time for this" and stomped past Carlos, who eerily began to follow him.

Unsurprisingly, Mrs. Diamond was nowhere to be seen, and the house seemed empty. James turned around, and watched Carlos's eyes widen again. James took another deep breath in frustration, as he pointed to the sleek refrigerator beside him.

"This," James paused for dramatic emphasis, "is our fridge. Now, watch very closely," James warned, as Carlos continued to watch him with wide eyes, "this is my fruit salad." James held out the glass bowl filled with a myriad of delicate fruit and placed it on the island beside him.

"Every morning, you will have to take this out for me when I awaken," James ordered, although he used the term _every morning_ lightly, as he had no idea what Mrs. Diamond had in store for Carlos. It felt strangely invigorating to exert power over someone his own age, and James could see why Mrs. Diamond enjoyed employing servants that were older.

James looked for any acknowledgment or understanding to grace Carlos's features, but there was nothing but a simple blank stare. James rolled his eyes again as he stomped past Carlos, not even bothering to pay attention as to whether or not the other boy was following him.

James reentered his room, and closed the door. He could feel his heart beating and his nostrils flaring, but he strangely felt an absence of anger. He felt exhilarated and awakened, but he was unsure as to why. It usually took the warm droplets of water after a rough morning run to soothe James into his journey of awakening, but somehow Carlos had managed to stir James from a groggy state to an exalted and enlivened state.

Shrugging to himself at the fact that he had overslept his morning run, James grabbed his clothing and entered his decadent bathroom, where each tile shone with brilliance and wealth. Closing the door, James delved into the steam and surrounded himself with the hopes of one day dreaming about excitement.

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><p>When James floated downstairs to eat his succulent fruit salad, he was met with an odd surprise. Carlos stood, smiling brightly, with an empty glass bowl in his hand. It took several seconds to register, but James suddenly realized that Carlos had devoured his entire breakfast. The residual juices from the fruits seemed to morph into one, large mocking hue as James twitched with frustration. Carlos continued to gleam, his bright smile seeming to jeer James into further frustration.<p>

"CARLOS!" James yelled in a raucous voice, his echoes reverberating around the mansion. Each decibel of noise contained an ample amount of anger, frustration, and confusion as James roared. His eyes squinted with anger, and his hazel eyes no longer held simple curiosity, but instead complex frustration. However, James instantly regretted roaring furiously, as he had forgotten how easily frightened Carlos was.

Unlike a petal falling gracefully to the ground, the pristine glass bowl plummeted to the ground, smashing and obliterating into millions of shards. James's jaw dropped as the sticky liquids of the fruit seeped onto the tiles of the kitchen, ruining the work of the maid. Carlos's lip began to quiver again as James groaned in frustration.

"CARLOS! What the hell did you just fucking do?" James groaned, as he glanced at the time. He had several minutes allotted to eating what was once his breakfast, and figured he had to clean it before someone hurt themselves. James glanced at the immobile servant, and threw his hands in the air in a fit of exasperation. How could his mother have hired such an incompetent fool?

Carlos winced as James stomped away, and continued to wince as James returned with a pack of paper towels and a trash-bag. Feeling menial, James groaned as he wiped the sticky liquids of the fruit, and avoided the glass. However, despite his best efforts, the fruit juice just seemed to not fully evaporate, and the concomitant stickiness remained. James, in a fit of frustration, ran his hand through his hair before realizing that the stickiness of the fruit juice had tainted a few strands of his perfect hair.

_Perfect, just fucking perfect. This is what I get for wanting abnormality._ James thought bitterly to himself, as he threw away the soiled paper towels. He then gingerly began to pick up the glass and throw it into the trash bag. He glanced at the time, and instinctively began to rush, realizing that Logan was about to leave his house and step outside in anticipation of James. However, in his rush, James did not realize a sharp shard of glass remained beside him, and when the red liquid touched the ground, James roared and gave up. He yelled several expletives as Carlos before ditching the trash-bag on the ground and washing his hand to clear out the blood. James ran to grab his back-pack and before he left, he sneered at Carlos.

"If you can, clean this fucking mess." James slammed the door shut, as he stomped into his garage to leave with his car. He had never been so furious with someone before in his life.

* * *

><p>"So, um, you're late, you have a huge scar on your hand, and I can see some unkempt hair strands. And the look on your face looks positively delightful," Kendall chuckled, after James had honked his horn to alert the blonde of his presence. Kendall threw himself in the back seat, as Logan peered at James with a look of concern and worry.<p>

"You should really put a band-aid on that, you know," Logan commented, peering slightly at Kendall as if to urge him from not making another comment to provoke James into an incessant rant.

"I _know_," James hissed, as he suddenly began to speed angrily across the lanes, honking his horn vigorously. James was hungry, and felt strange after not having had his morning run. It was all because of the polluted presence of Carlos.

Kendall and Logan gave each other a glance, before silence made its way into the car-ride, the only sounds coming from James's profane and coarse choice of words, directed toward slower drivers.

When the trio finally reached the school, they all nodded to each other, as Kendall and Logan ran to their classes. James sat in his seat, seething with anger. He was hungry, bitter, and felt stained. It was all due to the petulant presence in his house, in the form of Carlos. James wondered why in the world would his mother have hired an incompetent servant, who could hardly utter a syllable in English, let alone understand the language.

With a foul whisper lingering on his lips, James left his car and proceeded to stalk toward his Honors World History class, frustration clouding his mind. As he walked in, his eyes glanced toward Mercedes, who sat with her usual posse. He wanted to ask her if she knew anything as to why Carlos was suddenly in his house, but he knew that his mother would frown upon James spreading 'internal information to external sources'. Shaking the thought out of his mind, he sat down to see what was a pop quiz. Sighing, James took out a sleek, silver pen with rich, black ink to make his mark on the impromptu test.

"What was the agricultural revolution? Who the hell cares," James whispered under his breath as he neatly scribed his answer: "The revolution of agriculture." James sighed, as he took a gander at the next question, obviously expecting failure from this exam.

"What are neolithic villages?" James pondered to himself, as he squinted at the paper. However, no matter how hard he tried to scan an answer from the question, a certain face seemed to consistently appear in his mind. James tried hard to push it away, exerting as much force as he could until he was sure that if anyone took a glance at him, they would assume he was having problems.

However, it was not the mere fact that Carlos was on his mind—it was the fact that Carlos's quivering lips, frightened eyes, and terrified demeanor haunted James like a spectral creature. No matter how hard James tried to think of what the four early civilizations were, he could not help but think of Carlos's timid silence.

Suddenly, the bell rang, and James took a glance at his paper. Most of it was blank. Sighing in frustration, James signed his name and thrust the paper into the pile. He would just have to ask Logan to help him for the next exam.

* * *

><p>However, the situation that occurred in Honors World History remained throughout the entire day. Even in Show Choir, James was off his usual impeccable precision, causing him to be castigated by his gruff teacher. It was all because of the polluting presence of the pest—Carlos. James felt as if nothing in his day was going right only because of the enthralling aura around the servant.<p>

"James, watch out!" Logan cried, before James suddenly found himself pushed to the wall by a large and bulky ice hockey player. James groaned in pain as Kendall and Logan skated over to check up on their friend.

"Are you okay?" James heard Kendall ask, as he trembled to get up from the floor. James felt famished and tired and frustrated—a dangerous combination of three volatile emotions. He gave a dark glance toward Logan and Kendall, before skating back into the center of the ring.

After practice had ended, James angrily changed back into his regular wear, and impatiently awaited Logan and Kendall, their laughter abruptly ending upon seeing James's impassive face. Logan and Kendall shared an obvious glance, before James groaned verbally.

"What is wrong with you two?" James bemoaned, as he slowly made his way to his car, Logan and Kendall following behind him. He heard Logan mumble, but it was Kendall who responded to his verbal exclamation.

"What is wrong with us? You're the one whose head's been in the clouds all day," Kendall chortled, as James shot him a dark look. He ignited the engine of his car, and placed the gear into reverse as he made his way out of the dingy school parking lot.

"Loganator, I think I know what James's problem is. He's fallen in love," James saw Kendall wink at Logan from the rear-view mirror, and instantly James stuck up his middle finger, prompting laughter from the backseat. James continued to speed across the lanes, ignoring the safety violations of the road.

"I think Mercedes finally caught his attention," Kendall continued to laugh, as Logan suddenly bent forward, laughing vigorously as well. James rolled his eyes but kept silent. He was not in the mood to deal with the incessant jokes coming from the two buffoons he deemed his friends.

After dropping off Kendall and Logan, James immediately drove home. His temper was provoked, and his mood was fouled. He simply wanted to unleash all of his anger upon Carlos for ruining his day, and resort to demeaning himself by begging to his mother to fire Carlos immediately. After scanning his way into the garage, James parked his car, although to his innate surprise, he saw the car of his mother!

"She's never home early..." James whispered, as his heart began to race. He glanced at the house to ensure that nothing was occurring, but the eerie silence only seemed to mock James's fears. Why was his mother home? It seemed so unlikely and bizarre, that James suddenly felt his heart racing incredibly.

He quietly locked his car and slowly made his way to the garage door, pressing his ear slightly as if to hear anything from the huge chunk of metal of which his door was composed. Hearing nothing, James swung the door open, and was surprised to see Mrs. Diamond, Carlos, and a foreign man sitting in the family room. Mrs. Diamond immediately gave James a sickly sweet smile before turning to glare down the thin man. He nodded as James tried to move forward, but Mrs. Diamond stood in the way of James coming any closer. Carlos, however, waved at James.

"_No se lo digas a nadie_." James heard the man speak in a hushed voice to Carlos, as Mrs. Diamond attempted to attract James's attention. When James continued to stare at the man and Carlos, who seemed to be having a silent conversation, Mrs. Diamond roughly grabbed James and gave him another sweet, sickly smile.

"How was school, honey?" Mrs. Diamond asked, as James's eyes darted toward Carlos and back to his mother. Giving a plastic smile, James assured her that school went well.

"Why is that man here with Carlos?" James pondered aloud, as Mrs. Diamond took a dramatic exhale.

"I heard that Carlos had trouble understanding us, so I asked a translator to explain some basic tasks to him," Mrs. Diamond smiled without missing a beat, her face suddenly impassive again. The Diamond family had an eerie trait to them—without changing anything on their face, they could suddenly become closed off to everyone, withholding their emotions and exuding a cool, calm, and collected exterior. Mrs. Diamond was the paragon of this skill, while Mr. Diamond and James were modest at portraying it as well.

"Oh," James asked, his bare scar suddenly tingling again. Mrs. Diamond smiled sweetly again, ruffling James's hair, as she informed James that she had to drop off the man to his residence. James did a slight double-take, as he witnessed his mother leaving to do someone a favor, but he chose to say nothing about it. Instead, he turned to see Carlos, grinning at him with his hands behind his back. Raising an eyebrow, James walked into the kitchen, where the familiar French chef was strangely absent.

"_Un regalo_." Carlos whispered, as James raised an eyebrow. James assumed Carlos was speaking Spanish, but he had no idea as to what Carlos had just said. His mother had dictated that he was to take French in order to be able to deal with their foreign business partners in France and Europe. James knew how to say _Comment ca va_ or _Comment allez-vous_ in order to ask how someone was doing, but for all James could have guessed, Carlos may have cursed him.

However, from his hands, Carlos presented a glass bowl that appeared to be relatively new. James raised an eyebrow, as Carlos gently extended his trembling palms. James immediately took the new bowl with a skeptical glance, and smiled at Carlos. Upon inspecting the bowl, James realized it was real glass, but it was not a brand-name bowl, thus removing the suspension that Carlos had pilfered a bowl from the manor. James turned to look at Carlos again, and saw the jovial, jubilant, and happy persona that he had first seen earlier.

"Um, thanks." James tried to give a sheepish grin, although he truly had no idea as to how to respond. James hummed slightly as he turned and grabbed an apple from the fridge. He glanced at Carlos who watched him carefully, and decided on tossing him an apple as well.

"I'll, um, see ya later Carlos." James shrugged as he made his way upstairs, trying to ignore Carlos's gaze on him. It was strangely enthralling and exciting to see Carlos stare at him, but James suppressed these emotions as he attempted to focus on grabbing hold onto what still remained normal. It was as if he was on a spinning ride, and everything around him was changing, and he could only hold on to so many things to try and stabilize himself.

If anything, Carlos was the catalyst for all the abnormalities suddenly being thrust into James's life, and James was unsure as to whether or not he liked it. However, he was sure of one thing—with Carlos, things would never be the same again.


	3. Could You Be An Angel?

**Extraterrestrial**

_Chapter 03: Could You Be An Angel?_

**AU. James Diamond, a rich boy in California, meets Carlos Garcia: a kid his age with a bright smile, but a dark secret. As James and his friends befriend Carlos, they find themselves slowly caught into a sinister plot—from which escape is vital. JARLOS. Thanks so much to the warm response guys! I hope you guys all had a happy new year! Special thanks go out to ****Katerina The Von**** , rosiedoll, tomboy2012, CourageAboveAllElse, santiyonr91, Kogan4ever, HatershateRusherselevate, and rosaxD114!** **I hope you guys like this short chapter—I have been busy dealing with things, but I'm trying to get back into the cycle of things!** **This was written in January 2012**

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><p>TO say he was pleasantly surprised was one thing, but to say he was horrified was another side of the coin. James was meddled in the middle of these two extremities as he awoke to a beaming face brighter than the insolent rays of the sun. Carlos smiled, and held out a glass bowl full of decadent pieces of juicy fruit, as James took a moment to yawn. For a moment, he thought he saw a speck of red flash across Carlos's features, but James shrugged it as a hallucination of the morning.<p>

"Thanks, Carlos." James whispered, barely emitting a smile as he got out of the bed. Carlos continued to stand there, with the bowl of fruit in his hand. James noticed this as he entered the restroom, realizing he overslept his morning run again. Taking a sigh, James waved his hand casually.

"Just place it over there, on the nightstand." James shrugged. Carlos seemed to understand, as he placed it on the nightstand adjacent to James's bed. It was then James noticed something very peculiar about Carlos—he had never noticed it prior to this moment, for Carlos was always covering his sleeves. Carlos stared at James quizzically, as his eyes caught James's, which indirectly led to the array of bruises painted across Carlos's arm. Carlos's eyes widened as he immediately pulled down his sleeves, and rushed out of the room. James rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed with the never-ending drama surrounding Carlos. He passed off the injuries as Carlos simply bumping into something, or falling down stairs in a gaily dawdle.

He entered his bathroom, slightly surprised to see a stirring in his pants. James hardly ever touched himself in that way, finding it to be a debauchery to his prestige and character, but strangely, he wanted to debauch himself. He was not aware of what had prompted his sudden arousal, but James figured he could rid himself of it in the shower, adhering to his teenage hormones. Stripping off his clothes, and slowly running a hand down his sculpted body, James took a deep breath. He stepped into the shower, deluging himself under the steamy water. He gasped as he grabbed his arousal and slowly began to stroke it, feeling a strong urge to release something. He was horny—without a doubt—but there was something else. James tried to imagine the most attractive females he could imagine: Mercedes, the models at his mother's cosmetic empire, some of the college girls he saw at parties. Yet, nothing was giving him that release he needed. He continued to pump himself in the shower, relishing the warm, cascading droplets of water that trickled down his muscular abdomen. It was as if a barrier was barricading him from reaching that relief he needed. Finally James let his mind wonder freely—something he scarcely allowed it to do—and to his horror, a familiar face came into his mind, as his seed shot out and covered his hand, only to be washed away by the gems of the water. James opened his eyes, his heart beating violently—he had just masturbated to Carlos!

Quickly stepping out of the shower and preparing himself, James tried to stir the event away from his thoughts, but the more he pushed it away, the more it prevailed in his mind. It was frustrating, but James strangely felt no hostility toward Carlos. It was not the boy's fault that he was lingering in very suggestive positions in James's mind.

James was straight, and he knew it. He had sex with a few girls at parties, and while they were drunken hook-ups, James had enjoyed himself. He never was once aroused in the boys locker room, where he was surrounded by the male sex organelle. And yet, suddenly, he was now stroking himself to Carlos's smile? It made James feel sick. He ate his fruit salad as he walked down the stairs, but his heart continued to fleet.

The feeling only worsened when James saw Carlos leaning over the island, his eyes reading looking downward. Once James's footsteps were heard by the boy, like a dog, Carlos looked up and smiled at Carlos. James raised an eyebrow, but simply placed his empty glass bowl into the sink and glanced at Carlos again. He had been curious about Carlos since the first day, but he almost felt a stirring sense of pity for him as he saw the loneliness present in his eyes.

Upon replaying the events of the previous day in his mind as he had slumbered, James acknowledged the horrible fact that he had been a jerk to Carlos and somehow digested his pride to accept that Carlos was simply confused and trying to help him. He was never particularly kind to any servant, but James never wanted to become like his mother and become intoxicated with the power of ordering others around in life.

James felt another stirring sensation in his body—except that instead of resonating in his pants, it was suddenly resonating in his chest. It was as if butterflies were flying around gaily inside of him, tickling his innermost feelings and bringing out a light shade of colors over the gray mirage of life.

Waving bye to Carlos as he left the house to pick up Logan and Kendall for school, James's eyes met Carlos's for one brief second, but in that brief second, James felt his heart rate accelerate faster than it had ever done before in his life. It was strangely frightening, but exhilarating. He was shocked by the changes Carlos brought along with his mere presence, and the smile, the bruises, the lack of fluency, and the frightened hesitance he held toward James—everything just strangely enthralled James. The exoticness surrounding the boy was nothing short of intoxicating.

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><p>"So yesterday, you were furious, and now today, you almost got hit by two cars. Are you just trying to kill yourself?" Kendall huffed, as he clutched his seatbelt as an angry driver honked their horn. James blinked his eyes. He had been so distracted that he was running red light after red light, despite the squeaks coming from Logan. James sheepishly grinned at his friends, trying to play off his weird attitude.<p>

"I thought you guys could handle a bit of speed, but I guess you guys are too big of wusses to do that." James chuckled. However, to his horror, he noticed Kendall and Logan staring at him as if he was growing a second head. James checked to his right and left as he got out of his car, and stared at his friends with a slight hint of annoyance.

"Yes?" James cleared his throat, prompting both boys to come out of their trance. They glanced at each other before staring at James.

"You chuckled," Kendall whispered, staring at James with a dazed look across his face. James raised an eyebrow in skepticism, as he tried to recall the last time he laughed in the presence of his friends.

"While you were sober too," Logan nodded, as James mentally winced. Somehow, he knew his friends were right—he had never laughed while sober, and suddenly his impassive demeanor was lost. He tried to place it back on his face, hoping he did not look even weirder.

"You guys are crazy," James rolled his eyes as he grabbed his backpack. He made a reach for Kendall's, before realizing it was open. An Advanced Placement Psychology textbook fell from the sloppy bag, and suddenly Logan and James stared at Kendall quizzically. Kendall, to their knowledge, was never one to take advanced placement classes. Kendall returned the sheepish grin, and grabbed his textbook. He stuffed into his backpack, and ran off into the school, mumbling something about returning a textbook to Jo. Logan and James stared at each other, initiating a silent conversation which was abruptly ended by the reverberating shriek of the bell. Logan hurried off to his Spanish class, while James ran to his World History class.

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><p>"I am NOT on any sort of narcotics, thank you very much <em>Logan<em>," James hissed as the boys took out their clothes from their lockers in the gym. James placed his shirt over his body, although the feeling of something touching his bare abdomen reminded him of the morning trek, and James immediately froze, as if afraid his thoughts would be broadcasted.

"I'm just saying—your mood swings, your bizarre attitude, it would make sense." Logan spoke, with a full amount of sincerity in his voice. Kendall was to his right, still shirtless. James took a quick glance, and noticed no stirrings inside of him. He smiled, affirming his heterosexuality.

"See! You just spaced out, and started smiling! You're on crack, and I'm sure of it!" Kendall protested, as James gave the blonde an incredulous look. Logan rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, attracting James's attention again for the remainder of the conversation.

"Then explain to us why your arm was cut the other day, and why you've been spacing out, and why you've been having weird mood swings, and why you're starting to have bags under your eyes." Logan crossed his arms, as he buttoned up his shirt. James's eyes widened as he glanced at a nearby mirror. Logan was right—somehow, bags were beginning to forum under James's eyes on his flawless face.

"Dude, if you're doing drugs, we're not going to rat you out or anything, we're just concerned." Kendall spoke with a bit more sincerity. He placed his hand on James's shoulder, causing the boy to shudder slightly. It was just awful how jittery James felt knowing _someone_ was waiting for him back at his house—even if that someone could hardly communicate with him.

For some reason, James did not want to tell anyone about Carlos. He justified it that it was 'internal matters' in the Diamond household, but he also knew that he felt as if Carlos was like a little secret that slowly, albeit sloppily, colored his life. He wanted to preserve the aberrations Carlos provided to his mundane life, and he surely never wanted anyone to discover his early morning debauchery.

"I'm not," James slammed his locker shut, "doing any sort of drugs, thank you very much. Now come on, I have to go home." James then winced, as he could practically feel the next words about to roll out of Logan's mouth.

"Addiction?" Logan tried to smile, playing it off as a joke, but James spun around and glared at both of the boys with a fierce stare that would have made his mother proud.

"I. Do. Not. Do. Drugs." James enunciated, as Kendall grinned widely. He then raised one of his bushy eyebrows, and a familiar, mischievous glint returned to his green, emerald eyes.

"According to Kübler-Ross, you're on the second step toward acceptance—you've already passed denial, and now you're getting angry." Kendall raised an eyebrow, as he shut his locker. The trio walked out of the locker room, still discussing.

"I thought you didn't take Psychology," Logan suddenly interjected, as James glanced at Kendall whose smirk dropped into a stuttering mess. Kendall then cleared his jeans and attempted to play off the accusation.

"Isn't that common knowledge?" Kendall shrugged, "and besides, we're focusing on James's addiction problem. You know he's rich enough to afford cocaine." Kendall offered, turning the spotlight back onto James. James growled, as he rolled his eyes. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his keys. Suddenly, he stopped and stared at both boys who gave him a questioning look.

"I will not let you guys ride if you keep on pestering me about this fallacious drug addiction fantasy of mine you're having." James hissed, clenching his keys possessively. Logan's jaw dropped, but Kendall wore a mischievous smirk

"According to Kübler-Ross," Kendall grinned, "you're now bargaining. Good job James, just a few more steps and we'll be reaching acceptance soon!" James gave Kendall a scowl, as he inwardly wondered if Kendall was joking or was actually concerned.

As James unlocked the door, a feeling entered his mind. Were his friends _actually_ concerned about him? It oddly, despite its annoying instigations, felt good. It made him feel slightly even more alive, knowing that someone actually cared for his wellbeing.

"See, he's spacing out again, and he's not smiling! He's obviously now depressed! Logan, we're almost to acceptance!" Kendall chortled, as Logan stared at Kendall incuriously. He then rolled his eyes and continued to peer at the blonde boy.

"You can tell Kübler-Ross that she needs to emphasize that her model pertains to grief, not drug addictions." Logan rolled his eyes, as James mumbled a gracious note of gratitude for shutting up the blonde. He continued to drive, his mind wandering all over the place. Kendall grimaced slightly, mumbling about being so close, but the rest of the conversation in the car remained in silence.

Suddenly, James had an idea. He turned to Logan, who was staring at the road from the window. Clearing his throat, James caught Logan's attention.

"Logan, what is a ray-gall-o?" James tried to imitate Carlos's pronunciation of the glass bowl. He assumed it meant a glass bowl, but he wanted to confirm his suspicions.

Logan raised an eyebrow but nodded his head slowly, as if interpreting what James spoke in a horrible accent that would have made Carlos cringe in horror.

"A gift?" Logan spoke aloud, as Kendall peered at both boys from the back seat. James blushed slightly, gracious toward Carlos. Suddenly, he remembered what the man told Carlos yesterday, and with his best attempt, he uttered the pronunciation of it.

"What about no say low dig ass ah Nadia?" James tried to remember what the man said to Carlos, but his memory was failing him at this moment.

"_No se lo digas a nadie?_" Logan corrected, adding in a Spanish influx to his sound. Kendall, as James was also, looked impressed, prompting Logan to blush slightly.

"Yeah, something like that." James shrugged, acting nonchalant. However, the next words that arrived from Logan's mouth sent his heart into a whirlwind.

"Don't tell anyone…" Logan gave James a shady glance, as worry suddenly lit his eyes. Kendall also stared at James incredulously, as he glanced at Logan as well. Suddenly, he affirmed his thoughts:

"We're visiting your house James. If not, then tomorrow I'm talking to the principal about your drug addiction." Kendall spoke with a slight momentum of severity in his voice. James almost froze, save for the truck behind him, and his heart began to beat even faster. He was still processing the fact that Carlos was indeed hiding something, and now Kendall and Logan were close enough to discover Carlos's presence. The questions that James expected were not pleasant, and he felt as if he could hardly sustain himself. How was he supposed to answer their questions when he hardly knew the answers himself.

However, James had no choice. He could not back down from Kendall's wavering threat, and he knew that Kendall would follow through with it, if James refused. It was excruciating and James was horrified as to how he could present Carlos.

In the midst of his frustration and confusion, James's heart continued to eerily beat in a two syllable pattern, as if beating someone else's name…


	4. Your Touch, Magnetizing

**Extraterrestrial**

_Chapter 04: Your Touch, Magnetizing_

**AU. James Diamond, a rich boy in California, meets Carlos Garcia: a kid his age with a bright smile, but a dark secret. As James and his friends befriend Carlos, they find themselves slowly caught into a sinister plot—from which escape is vital. JARLOS. I would like to dedicate this story to my good friend, **CourageAboveAllElse**, who celebrated their birthday a few days back! Happy birthday man! I would like to also thank **Valid Hearts**,** The Steam Punk Lolo**,** rusher4lifee**,** Lovin' Big Time Rush**,** themodernage**,** rosiedoll**,** santiyonr91**,** CourageAboveAllElse**,** **and** Rhett9 **for your reviews!** **This was written March 2012.**

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><p>HE was annoyed. At least that's how he was portraying himself. Truthfully, James Diamond did not care for anything as much to bother himself with getting annoyed. However, he wanted Kendall and Logan out of his house. They may have been the closest things he had to friends, but if they discovered Carlos, then James would be faced with questions for which he had no answers.<p>

"I love coming to your house." Kendall plopped himself onto the sofa and stretched out his body. James wrinkled his nose, but stayed silent. He instead glided to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of flavored water. Logan emerged from the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

What was more terrifying than the fact that Carlos had a secret was the fact that he was nowhere to be seen. He could pop in at any moment, and James immediately knew that questions would be asked. It was the worst combination he could have imagined; Logan's vast intelligence and Kendall's obstinacy were hard enough to deal with by themselves. But when these two traits combined to form the 'Kogan Effect', James knew he had to be very careful. If Logan noticed anything, Kendall would not let the issue drop. If Kendall noticed something, Logan would analyze it until it was nothing. It almost terrified James as to how he was dodging bullets by being around them. It would take simply one mistake for them to immediately ask James questions about his life, and his emotions.

"I'm sorry, _officer_, but don't you have an investigation to make?" James hissed. He subsequently took a swig of his peach flavored water and stuffed it back into the fridge, slamming the door in the process. He hated expressing his emotions, even with a subtle nuance, but he needed them out of the house immediately.

"I think this officer would like a donut before he looked around," Kendall grinned, throwing himself off the sofa and onto his own two feet. James rolled his eyes and opened the pantry to reveal mounds of sugary treats. If James was not preoccupied with his figure, then he would have found the pantry to be heaven. But instead, it served as a tantalizing hell.

"Then the officer should get off his fat ass and get something himself." James huffed, leaving the pantry door wide open for Kendall. Kendall grinned and immediately dived into the pantry, looking through the decadent boxes of foreign sweets. Logan rolled his eyes and strolled forward to stand beside James.

"You know we're just concerned right, and so is Kendall." Logan whispered as James closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He opened his eyes and turned to Logan.

"I don't understand why you guys are concerned," James spat, "I haven't changed, and you guys are starting to get annoying." James crossed his arms, unintentionally flexing his arms. He glared at his two friends, one of whom had a donut placed into his mouth.

"Gheat?" Kendall tried to utter a few words, but the donut was proving to be an obstruction for his voice to be emitted. James rolled his eyes again, and Logan immediately took charge of the situation.

"James, there is no need to be defensive over this. It's not like Kendall is speaking a different a different language and screaming '_Tengo Rosquillas'_. He's not trying to annoy you" Logan ranted slightly, narrowing his eyes at James. However, James's heart dropped. Immediately, once Logan had finished his small Spanish sentence, he heard footsteps. Or he heard his heart beating. Or he heard a combination of the two.

Suddenly, from the arch of the stairway to his right, James saw Carlos popping his head out of the stairwell and grinning. James's eyes widened, and Logan and Kendall both gawked at him. However, James managed to reposition his mask and keep his impassive face. He tightened his fists and bore his eyes into Kendall and Logan.

"I think you both should leave." James hissed, his glare intensifying. In reality, he was cracking and his heart was beating fast. Carlos's presence was loosely draped over the stairwell, staring at James as if he was tempting him with his naivety and innocence. James could not handle so many tantalizations at once.

However, Kendall took control of the situation and finished his donut. He stepped forward, his emerald eyes shimmering with courage. James's brown eyes held a contemptuous defense that could not be broken by such sheer force. Logan's pleading eyes whimpered slightly at the sight of two close companions quarreling.

"James," Kendall whispered, "you're misunderstanding us. We've been worried about you for so long. After the—"

However he was cut off by a shove from James, whose impassive face was colored with a furious rose tint.

"I don't want to discuss anything with anyone. Please, leave, or I will call my servants." James threatened. He saw the hurt on Logan's face and the fury on Kendall's, but did nothing about it. He neglected the fact that they had brought up a sensitive issue for James, but he knew he could never talk about it. It was something he had buried so deep that the process of unburying it would hurt him—possibly even _kill_ him.

Kendall grabbed his backpack and Logan followed suit. Anger and sadness departed from the atmosphere. However, instead of neutralizing the environment, it added desolation, pain, and suffering. Once he heard the door shut, James began to dry heave. How dare they bring up the past? How dare they try to force him to open up; he could never do that.

"James?" Suddenly the air was infected. James looked up, past his mirrored eyes and glassy gaze, and saw the cherub of innocence flying to him. Were these tears strolling down his flawless face? James wiped them brusquely, hoping to roughly push them away. Why was his mask coming off? But Carlos had uttered a magical spell: his name.

Before he knew it, James ran forward and grabbed Carlos's arms. He could feel their calloused state, and he could feel the fear running rampant in Carlos's blood. But he needed the sweet nectar that Carlos exuded; he needed it to glue back his mask onto his incorrigible face. So he leaned in to steal the beautiful substance.

His lips hovered over Carlos's, their breathing becoming in sync. James saw the fear in Carlos's eyes, and he immediately closed his eyes and broke the thin wall separating them; their lips met, and suddenly James felt revitalized. He felt stronger. He felt invigorated. Carlos's beautiful energy was nectar, and James was hungry.

However, Carlos pushed him away, and James stumbled back slightly. Carlos was panting, and he peered at James with a quivering lip.

_Fuck._ James mentally swore as he noticed the shaky breaths Carlos was experiencing. James quickly fixed the loose strands of hair that tried to trickle onto his face, and thus decided to come closer to the boy. Yet, Carlos continued to step back, his body visibly quaking in fear.

"Carlos, I'm sorry." James whispered, but Carlos shook his head. James was unsure if Carlos had understood him or understood the meaning behind his words, but he knew he had done something to hurt Carlos. Every time James took a step closer, Carlos took a step away.

This game was rudely interrupted however, when the door swung open and Kendall and Logan stood at the door, smiling deviously until they realized what they saw in front of them. James stared at them with wide eyes and Carlos yelped, his breathing becoming deeper.

It was as if time had come to a standstill.

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><p>"Who is he?" Kendall asked, slamming the door as he walked into the spotless Diamond Manor. James was still at a loss for words. He had not expected his friends to still be here, but he was not surprised. As aforementioned, James knew his weakness was the Kogan Effect: the ability for Kendall's stubbornness and Logan's intelligence to merge into a momentum that could not be stopped.<p>

"W-What are you both still doing here?" James whispered, his voice stuck in his throat. Had they seen him kiss Carlos? No, that was impossible. They could not have.

"We figured we could catch you doing whatever you did if you thought we left." Logan assuaged James with a mocking sense of concern, although his narrowed eyes held suspicion. Carlos looked afraid and scared, and conflicted. James felt horrible; Carlos kept on glancing at James as if he wanted to latch onto the rich heir, but he seemed terrified of him. Likewise, he also seemed terrified of Logan and Kendall, but too scared to move.

"His name is Carlos." James suddenly spoke, regaining control over his voice. His eyes became slightly misty, and he crossed his arms again, as if he was protecting himself. Logan and Kendall turned their heads and directly faced Carlos, who was still shaking. Kendall came forward and extended his hand, trying to give an earnest smile.

"I'm Kendall." Kendall held his extended hand, but Carlos continued to huddle to himself, visibly shaking. James paled. Logan immediately became even more suspicious, and walked forward.

"_¿Puedes hablar Inglés?_" Logan asked Carlos if he could speak English. Carlos glanced at Logan with widened eyes and shook his head. Logan then shot his head toward James. He began to pace around Carlos and James, both of whom held guilty mugs.

"You have a non-English speaking boy in your house that you obviously were hiding from us?" Logan asked aloud, glancing at Carlos. James looked at the floor, his voice betraying him once again.

"Do you realize how suspicious this looks?" Kendall suddenly spoke, darting his eyes from Carlos to James.

"I know." James simply breathed, his chest constricting him too tightly. What was he supposed to say? That his mother had brought Carlos into the house at three o clock in the morning one day? That he was strangely enthralled by the boy? That he had no idea about his past or history?

"Is he an illegal immigrant?" Logan breathed, gently placing his hands on James's shoulder. James looked up and stared at Logan's eyes. Instead of finding hate and corrosive suspicion, James found a strange sense of sympathy.

"I-I don't know." James stuttered slightly, his cheeks blushing. He seemed like a complete idiot. How could he possibly explain this predicament to the two people who knew the most about him? Despite knowing little to nothing, the three of them shared a dark secret with one another, which led to James's insecurities and walls.

"Is he a servant?" Kendall asked, crossing his arms to deflect the effect of James's poise. James shrugged weakly, his body beginning to visibly shake. He shook his head. He didn't know. He knew, deep down inside, that there was more to Carlos. He only wanted to believe that he was a new servant, but there was more to him than James could have surmised. His bruises, his fears, his secrets—they all held a dark cloak over the innocence that Carlos captivated.

"James, sit down. Kendall, get two glasses of water." Logan ordered. James obliged and gently fell to the sofa, huddling his knees to his body. Kendall miraculously found two glasses and filled them up with the mineral water from the fridge. He then swiftly pivoted his body on his heel and pointed towards Carlos.

"_¿Te gustaría se sentara también? Sólo quiero hablar contigo, amigo_." Logan asked, his Spanish accent flooding his words. James hardly understood what he said, and even Kendall held a perplexed look on his face while he handed James and Carlos glasses of water before plopping down onto the sofa.

"_Gracias._" Carlos breathed as he sat a distance away from the trio. James felt his heart harden in pain when he saw the pain in Carlos's eyes.

"I asked if he wanted to sit down, since I wanted to talk to him." Logan explained, running a hand through his hair. He cracked his knuckles, and James prepared himself for what could possibly be the most gruesome interrogation he had gone through. His emotions would be tested, and he could see the dark past lingering on the tip of Logan's tongue.

James wanted to run from this situation, as he had run from other things before, but he felt a strange force pulling him closer and closer to the room. He saw the pain in Carlos's eyes, the curiosity in Kendall's eyes, and the concern in Logan's eyes. These three emotions flooded him and overwhelmed him, effectively drowning him while keeping his stoic and calm. It was deadly how powerful the other three boys were.

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><p><strong>I wanted to thank everyone for their support. I know I'm horrible with updates. I'm perfectly understanding if people will stop reading my work or lose their respect for me. I'm fine with that. I just want to let you all know that I am trying my hardest. I really am. Thank you. <strong>


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